


Pokemon Ranger Gakuen : Jackie's Story

by RivailleRavioli



Category: Pokemon, Pokemon Ranger
Genre: Gen, Jack Walker - Freeform, Origin Story, Original Characters - Freeform, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Ranger - Freeform, jackie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-08 09:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1131085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RivailleRavioli/pseuds/RivailleRavioli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Walker's school days and the events that lead up to how he became the Pokemon Ranger he is today.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Student

**Author's Note:**

> An edited continuation of the original story I started on ff.net. It was and is one of the many stories I had advertently put on hiatus for various reasons. Also one of the handful I wanted to continue but for just as many reasons found myself unable to do so until now. There are seven original chapters already written; however, I'll be revising or fixing whatever mistakes I come across. 
> 
> Basically a similar situation as all my other stories.

The sky was overcast, the look and feel of a big storm was looming in the distance. However, the atmosphere within one of the many classrooms of the Ranger Academy was quite the opposite. Supercharged and filled with chatter, the students were all out of their seats and conversing. One of the students, a girl with ruby red hair and pale green eyes, was one of the few who seemed to be making the most conversation.

“Isn't it strange that they're accepting a transfer this late in the school year,” she commented, “I also hear that this new kid is from the Kanto region.”

One of the other girls, who was standing near the desk to the right, just laughed and shook her head, “It's amazing how you pick up those pieces of information Judy,” she then sat down in her seat while asking, “Do you know if they're a boy or a girl?” 

Judy glanced up towards the ceiling in a thoughtful manner, as if trying to recall more specific details. She then shook her head, “It was mostly chatter, that's all I heard,” Judy sighed, “I'll have to do better next time if I want to be a top operator.”

“Don't worry about it Judy, that's why we're here right!” one of the boys piped in. They all laughed for a moment before falling silent when the side door slid open. The teacher walked in, she was alone and carrying the folder which held that days lessons. It wasn't hard for her to see that they were expecting someone else; this made her smile slightly before she reached her podium and set the folder down. Waiting a moment before brushing some stray hair behind her ear, she turned to the class and scanned each face. 

“Well class, I'm sure you are all wondering about our new arrival.”

It was at these words that the whole class took a deep breath. Their eyes moved towards the door when it opened again, this time a boy walked in. He was dressed in the Ranger Academy uniform already and seemed to have a very friendly look about him. He had short blonde hair that had a slight cowlick, and like the others who seemed to be studying him, his own emerald green eyes studied them right back. Time itself seemed to slow down until finally the boy smiled and spoke. 

“I'm Jack Walker,” he smiled, “But you can call me Jackie.” 

Just his words alone seemed to make the entire class breath a collective sigh of relief. When Jackie turned towards the teacher, he gave her a friendly smile as well. Returning the smile, the teacher gave a nod before looking out onto the class.

“Jackie here has traveled all the way from the Kanto region to join us,” she placed a hand on his shoulder while continuing, “I know he'll be starting a little late, but I hope all of you will join in making him as comfortable and welcome as you can.” she then motioned towards an empty desk at the front, “You may sit there, and do hurry, we have a busy day ahead of us.”

Not saying a word, Jackie gave a nod while walking over and taking a seat. To his right was Judy who gave him a big smile, and to his left was another boy. He had rather messy looking navy blue hair and dark eyes, he had an extremely sunny disposition and once Jackie was situated he leaned over. He appeared ready to say something but had stopped before he had started, a moment had passed and he leaned back and shook his head. It seemed a little odd and Judy was going to comment on it, but the class had already started. That day they would be going over the various types of Pokemon there are in the world and more specifically in that region, as well as the type of work the Ranger Union does.

As predicted, a thunderstorm had broken out; wind and rain rattled the windows. The students inside were busy now having their lunch and chatting once more. There was a small group around Jackie's desk, Judy was at the very front and seemed to be the one asking the most questions. She was standing just to the left while brushing some hair out of her face.

“So Jackie, I bet you want to be a Pokemon Ranger right?”

Jackie, who had been in the middle of eating a sandwich when the question was asked, only had to give a nod. Swallowing, he then chuckled, “That's right, it's the least I can do after all.” he sipped some water before glancing around the room, “I'm finally here...” a soft sigh slipped from his lips as a thoughtful smile formed. He wasn't given much time after that to dwell on his thoughts when the flood of questions started up again. 

“Oh, oh, hey Jackie, why do you want to be a Pokemon Ranger?” one girl piped in, though was not given a ready answer when another question was asked.

“What about a girlfriend, do you have one?”

“Oh stop it Annie, don't ask such a stupid question.” 

Sitting silently and grinning, Jackie was rather amused by the questions. However, his attention had turned over towards the right corner of the room. The blue haired boy was sitting by himself eating and subtly trying to watch them. It was hard to place, but he didn't seem to be too bothered by his solitude. Normally, most people would have a look of longing when watching their peers while alone, but he didn't. 

“Hey! Come on over!” Jackie waved his hand towards the other. The action, though, had caused the other boy to jolt and then give a hesitant wave before looking down at his desk. “Hm? What's wrong with him?” 

“Oh, that's Zekke,” Judy explained, “He's a transfer also; I believe he's from somewhere in Unova.” 

“Yeah, he doesn't talk much,” one of the boys said, “He's a total creeper, always sitting by himself and grinning like an idiot.”

Judy gave the boy a stern look before turning back towards Jackie, “Don't listen to him, Zekke is really nice, he's just not very sociable.” 

“Hmm...” Jackie looked over at Zekke and caught him staring again. As if by instinct, he waved again and like before, his action was more or less ignored.

“Listen Jackie, after lunch I can give you a tour of the school. Ms. Brooke told me you'll probably need one.” Judy explained, “I'll show you were the dorms are and the library and the teachers lounge.”

“Hm? Oh, yes that sounds great, thanks.” Jackie nodded, though paused a moment, “What was your name again?” now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure if she had told him. It was a little embarrassing, but he was new after all. 

“My name's Judy, I plan on becoming a top operator.” she introduced with a confidant smirk, after which, Judy sat down at her desk to wait for Jackie to finish. In the meantime, Zekke had finished his and was in the middle of throwing his trash out. As he walked by he glanced over at the others. There was an unusual yet unreadable look on his face, not a word was said and he just left the room.

Lunch finished a few minutes later and all the students were free to go about their own business. Jack left the classroom with Judy and was making his way down the long hallway that lead deeper into the school. The two of them were silent until they reached a large staircase, one set of stairs lead up to the second floor while another lead down into the basement. 

“Alright Jackie, in case you don't already know, the stairs leading to the second floor is where the common room and student dorms are. The girls' dorm is on the right and the boys' dorm is on the left.” Judy looked towards the blonde boy, “The dorm mothers' name is Lily, and she's been here for ever, but is really nice. She's in charge of cleaning and making sure everything dorm related runs smoothly.” 

“I think I spoke with her earlier today,” Jack pondered, “What about those stairs?” he then pointed to the ones that lead downstairs. 

“Those lead to the basement, students aren't allowed down there unless accompanied by a teacher.” 

Giving a small nod, he made sure to commit this information to memory before the two of them started walking again. They came to a door on the right, which Judy was the first to reach. She opened it and inside there were two rows of larger desks, a rather old but large sofa and a handful of chairs ranging from rolling to folding. There were only three other people in the room at that moment; Ms. Brooke being one of them, an older gentleman with a very gentle looking face and handlebar mustache, and then a taller gentleman with short grey and white hair, who didn't appear to be much older than his late twenties. What stuck out about him the most was his very unprofessional appearance. He looked as if he had just thrown on whatever was lying around and didn't bother shaving the light stubble growing on his face. 

“Ah, Judy, I see you've brought our newest addition.” the elder man noted when he spotted the two at the door, “Come in, come in, let me get a look at him.”

Judy grinned and nodded; she then grabbed Jackie by the hand and led him over to the older gentleman, “This is Mr. Carnegie, he's the principle here.” she explained on the way.

Mr. Carnegie simply waved his hand dismissively, “I hear you came a very long way just to be here,” he spoke once the two had reached the front of his desk, “I'm pleased to welcome you to the Ranger Academy...um...”

“Jack...Jack Walker,” Jackie filled in quickly, “You can call me Jackie though, most people do.”

“Jackie, how fun,” Mr. Carnegie chuckled, “Well, I trust Judy is giving you the grand tour. It's just a shame it's storming so badly out, there is so much more to see.” 

“Yes sir, I'm sure I'll get to see everything else once it's passed.” Jack grinned, he was barely able to contain his own enthusiasm. Judy was there, though, to reign him in when she quickly spoke up.

“I almost forgot, this is Mr. Jill.” she pointed to the disheveled male. He, in turn, gave here a rather irate stare before attempting to stand up straight. 

“Gulle...” he corrected, his tone monotonous, “It's Mr. Gulle...I teach the class next to Ms. Brooke.” he didn't sound exceptionally thrilled with his words, or the concept of teaching. He did though rub the back of his neck before sighing heavily, “I have some work to do, if you'll...excuse me.” he gave the two educators a simple nod and the two students a second stare before excusing himself from the teachers lounge. 

Jackie watched him leave for a moment and then turned back to smile at Ms. Brooke and Mr. Carnegie, “Well, it's nice to meet all of you officially...”was what he started to say before Judy's hand pulled at his own.

“Right, well, we better continue on with the tour! I still have to show Jackie the library,” without waiting for the teachers, or even Jackie, to respond, Judy was already dragging the poor boy out of the teachers lounge, “You'll have to excuse Mr. Jill,”

“Gulle...?” Jackie attempted to correct.

“Yeah, he's always like that,” Judy sighed, “I heard Mr. Carnegie personally brought him in as one of the teachers here..though supposedly it's because he didn't have any other choice.” 

“Who? Mr. Gulle or Mr. Carnegie?” Jackie questioned. It was obvious the ragged man didn't look the part, but he had to be there for a reason. Not that it was really any of his business, Judy did make it sound interesting though. 

“Mr. Gulle of course!” Judy rolled her eyes before the two arrived in front of a pair of large, wooden doors, “Alright, well, this is the library.” she pushed the doors open and walked inside. The library was a large room, much bigger than the teachers lounge and looked to have a second level even. There were books lining the walls all the way to the back. Some shelves were shorter so is not to block the large, stain glass windows, which were currently blackened by the storm outside. There were other shelves with books and magazines, as well as tables and chairs set up for students who wanted to sit and study.

“We have all sorts of books here,” Judy said once more, “It's a gread place to come and study, though most students like to do that in the common room.” 

“I see...” Jackie started to say, only to stop when another boy stepped out from where he assumed the stacks would be, “Hm?”

“Oh!” Judy perked up, “Myles! Myles over here!” she practically bounced out of her shoes waving. The boy just ahead had stopped instantly before looking up. Despite his somewhat wild appearance, what with yellow and blue hair...a bright, flashy grin split across his face.

“Hey Judy~! There's my main girl, who's the newbie?” he rushed over and stopped just in front of Jackie. Myles, as he was now called, stood at least a foot and a half taller than he and was busy staring down at him. Now much closer, Jackie could see that he was an older student, a junior or senior possibly and one of Judy's friends...maybe?

“This is Jackie, he just transferred here from Kanto,” Judy introduced, “Jackie, this is Myles, he's going to graduate this year.” 

“That's right, and I'm going to miss you my dear Judy! But don't fret, it will only be for a short time, fore you will become a beautiful operator and I...I shall be the Ranger you so lovingly order around~” Myles had taken Judy's hand and was already down on one knee, “Judy~by all means, give me a little preview, command me for I am your loyal dog!”

Judy sighed and rolled her eyes before giving Myles a shove, “Oh stop it, I don't have time to play with you. I have to finish giving Jackie a tour of the school.” 

“Hm...” Myles glanced back over at Jackie, who in turn gave him a slightly hesitant grin, “Very well! I will treat your words like a mission! I will stay out of your way for now dear Judy; HOWEVER!” he pointed at Jackie, “I will be keeping an eye on you newbie, you do anything to jeopardize her chances of becoming an operator, I will end you quickly and painfully!” 

The smile Jackie had been wearing had vanished rather quickly at those words. Myles, who noticed this right away, just busted out laughing and gave him a sharp slap on the back. 

“There's a good lad! No worries, I won't actually kill you. But seriously, don't you go dragging her into troublesome situations. She's a hard worker and I would hate to see some newbie ruin things for her.” 

“Heh, she seems to do most of the dragging here.” Jackie smiled again, though it was more nervous and forced than previous ones.

Myles just smirked and gave a slightly less forceful pat before waving and being on his way. Once he was out of sight, Jackie heaved a heavy sigh, which earned him a chuckle from Judy.

“Don't let him bother you, he's a good guy,” she tried reassuring him, “Come on, I'll show you the dorms now, we can finish the tour tomorrow though when the rain has stopped.” 

The two of them left the library and started back towards the large staircase. Taking the upward leading ones, they reached the common room where most of the students were now hanging out. Some of them had walked over and started talking with Judy, Jackie hung back and watched. His emerald gaze was drawn to the corner of the room when the boy from before could be seen. Zekke was sitting alone on one of the comfy easy chairs nearest the window. He was staring out at the storm intently and would jolt now and then when a flash of lightening would light up the sky or a loud clap of thunder would strike. 

Seeing that Judy was a little distracted at the moment, he took this opportunity to walk over and stand next to the chair. At first, Zekke didn't seem to notice him, Jackie was prepared to break the ice when the other turned his head and looked up, giving him a smile.

“Hey, I'm Jackie,” the blonde introduced himself right away, the boy just gave a hearty nod before looking back out the window, “Hmmm, so why did you transfer to this school?” 

Zekke was silent but looked to be contemplating the question, when he didn't give any sort of response, Jackie sighed, “Alright, so...your name is Zekke right? What sort of Pokemon do you like?” 

Once again, Zekke looked thoughtful but didn't answer. He did; however, look back up at Jackie with a slightly less cheery expression. When he looked away, he sighed and just shook his head. 

“You don't...like Pokemon?” Jackie inquired; it seemed rather odd that someone who didn't like Pokemon had enrolled at the Ranger Academy. When Zekke looked back up at him, Jackie froze, the boy slowly got to his feet. He was about an inch or two shorter than Jack but there was something about the look in his dark eyes that made the blonde boy feel smaller. It seemed to last far longer than it really did, when Zekke finally smiled, the tension in the air had dissipated instantly.

Not a word was said, Zekke just reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flash light. With a click, he turned it on and moments later there was a particularly loud crash of thunder that rattled the whole building before a large bolt of lightening split the sky. Seconds after that, the lights flickered as the power failed and the whole school was left in darkness


	2. The Storm

As the school went black, a rush of panic seemed to wash over the students in the common room. Zekke, being the only one with a flashlight, seemed unbothered by the darkness and was busy looking at his shoes. Jackie also appeared unfazed by the power outage; of course, his concern was more focused on what had caused it. The storm outside was a contributing factor, but there was something strange about it.

Judy made her way over to the two boys, a worried look on her face. She moved over and stood beside Jackie and grabbed his arm.

"What are we going to do Jackie?" she asked nervously, "Normally the back up generator would come on if there ever was a black out."

Being new to the school, it was only natural that the blond boy wasn't familiar with the various protocols. On top of that, this seemed like a matter that the teachers would be able to handle, the most he could do now would be to try and reassure both Judy and the rest of his class. Taking the girl's hand, he smiled and removed it from his arm.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this." he said confidently before turning to everybody else, "Alright! Listen up! The best thing we can do now is to just stay calm. Everything is being done in order to restore power."

Most of the students had stopped to listen to what Jackie had to say; however, there were a few that didn't seem nearly as convinced. One of those students was an older male, he stood up and called out in a rather obnoxious manner.

"Oh yeah? Those are some big words from the new guy, why should we believe you?"

Still smiling a bit, the blond seemed almost thrilled by the apparent challenge. Judy on the other hand looked rather irritated with the other and was about ready to stand up for Jackie when he raised his hand to stop her.

"Why?" he then repeated, "Because, I don't know the meaning of failure." with that he stepped forward, "That's why I'm going to go and personally check with the teachers."

The male student just scoffed and crossed his arms, while he seemed unimpressed by the new guys confidence, Jackie seemed to earn more positive nods from the other students. Taking that as his cue, Jackie started moving towards the stairs. As he reached them, Judy had rushed up and grabbed his hand, Zekke wasn't far behind.

"We're going with you Jackie." Judy said firmly, Jackie had half a mind to say no, that it was his task to carry out; however, the look Judy was giving him and the fact that Zekke had a flashlight proved to be a stronger rebuttal than any words could possibly counter. Heaving a defeated sigh, Jackie gave a nod and motioned for them to follow.

As they descended the stairs, there was a flash of lightening and a large crash of thunder. The storm outside had picked up, the sound of the wind and rain slapping against the windows, coupled with the darkness and brief flashes of light made for an eery atmosphere. Of the small group, Judy seemed to be the only one who was actually scared. Zekke just trotted along almost cheerfully, he made sure to keep the flashlight trained on the stairs and once they reached the bottom, kept it on the floor. Jackie on the other hand had come to a stop.

Zekke blinked and then turned, pointing the flashlight at him. That air of confidence and pride had vanished and was replaced with something else. Judy was no longer the only one who looked scared, it didn't seem natural to see such edginess coming from the youth, but there wasn't a doubt in either Judy's or Zekke's mind that Jack Walker was absolutely terrified.

"Jackie, don't tell me that was all a show?" Judy was the first to address the issue, with this new bit of information, the fear she had been feeling had eased away, "Come on, we have to find the teachers."

The blond boy gave a rather hesitant smile, yes, it had been a show. But he knew how these sorts of situations worked, panic would spread through the students and all sorts of chaos would break out. People would be wondering about and possibly getting hurt, and that was not something he was about to just let happen. He had joined this school because he wanted to become a Pokemon Ranger, so that he could help both people and Pokemon. What kind of Ranger would he be if he couldn't reassure his fellow classmates, even if he was the new guy.

"I-I know, I'm coming..." his words came out more forced and hesitant than he had intended, but he moved forward never the less. This wasn't one of his brightest ideas, but it was one that had to be done never the less. He was certain the teachers would know what to do. Jackie turned towards Zekke and gave him a smile next, "Come on, I'm alright...we have to find the teachers right?"

Zekke, who'd been watching silently, just smiled and gave a nod. When the other two weren't looking, a slight frown formed on his face. However, it didn't last very long as he walked a little faster until he was right beside the blond. In comparison, Zekke was an inch or two shorter than Jackie, but as he looked up at the other, that almost didn't matter. Sensing the eyes on him, Jackie glanced at Zekke questioningly before giving him a reassuring smile.

Judy just sighed and shook her head before catching up with the two boys, "Alright, my guess would be that the teachers are downstairs in the basement. That's where the back up generator is." both boys gave a nod while altering their course so that they reached the stairs to the basement. Once there, all three glanced down into the darkness. It didn't seem like a natural darkness, even when Zekke directed the beam from the flashlight down into it, it didn't seem to have any affect.

A slight shiver rippled through Jackie's body before he drew a long breath, "Lets go," he then said as he let the breath out in a slightly shaky sigh, "Down we go..." being the first to take a step down, Jackie descended downwards into the blackness. Judy and Zekke glanced at one another before nodding and quickly, but carefully, followed after him. It really was a terrifying experience, the only thing they could see was the steps that the flashlight illuminated at the base of their feet. One wrong step and they would surely take a tumble.

"J-Jackie, are we almost there?" Judy asked nervously, it felt as if they had been walking for hours, "I don't remember the stairs being this far down."

"I don't know Judy," came Jackie's response, "I think it's not too much furth...aagh!" his words were quickly cut off when he suddenly lost his footing. Tumbling down the rest of the stairs, Jackie hit the floor with a painful sounding thud. A slight groan could be heard from the darkness below as both Judy and Zekke quickly moved down the stairs to their fallen companion. Turning the light onto Jackie, Zekke had crouched down to see if the other boy was alright while Judy was trying to pull the other to his feet. Once Jackie was to his feet again, looking a little ruffled but otherwise not mortally harmed in anyway, he dusted himself off and gave a rather shaken chuckle.

"Are you alright Jackie?" the girl asked, concern filling her voice as she insisted on double checking for any wounds. The blond just gave a nod before turning his gaze to their surroundings. It was very dark, they were the only source of light for as far as they could see. "Don't scare me like that," Judy then said, "Come on, we have to keep moving, the teachers should be near the back by the backup generators."

The small group felt as if they had been walking for hours, when in actuality, it couldn't have been more than five or ten minutes. Judy had taken up walking very close to Jackie's right side, while Zekke kept pase just a foot or tow in front. The dark haired boy paused suddenly, resulting in the other two bumping into him.

"Zekke, why'd you stop?" Judy sounded slightly annoyed but more embarrassed; however, she was never given an answer when the sound of running foot steps broke the silence. None of them had time to ponder who they belonged to before someone or something plowed right through them. "Hey!"

Both Zekke and Jackie were quick to respond after that, both boys took off in the direction the supposed intruder had gone. Judy was left blinded and confused, "Guys! Don't leave me down here!" she was soon to follow after them as best she could. Mean while, both boys had reached the stairs that led back up to the main floor. Not pausing for even a moment, they scrambled up them only to stop when they reached the top. There was a dark figure running down the hall and appeared to have something in their arms.

"Hey! Stop!" Jackie shouted, but Zekke was a few steps ahead of him, literally. The boy had taken off down the hall, covering the distance between himself and the one running. The two met just before reaching the front doors, Jackie was following and caught sight of the two scuffling over something before Zekke was shoved away. The other pushed the front doors open and ran out into the storm. "Zekke, are you ok? That was crazy!" the blond reached the other and crouched down, "Here." he held a helping hand out to the boy, who in turn took it.

Once both were standing, Jackie glanced out into the blistering rain with a slight frown, Zekke seemed just as concerned. Before long, Judy had caught up and was breathing heavily. "W-What happened? Who was that?"

"Dunno," Jackie sighed, "They got away..."

Zekke had taken a step forward as if he was going to go out into the rain, but Jackie reached out and grabbed his upper arm. "Hold up there buddy, we can't just go running out into that storm." the other just shook his head and pulled his arm away. Turning and looking directly at Jackie, there was a hint of overwhelming determination in his dark eyes. Jackie, who didn't seem as motivated, had subtly flinched. Judy sighed and placed a hand on Zekke's shoulder.

"Come on you two, you both know it's too dangerous to go out there on our own." she gave the shorter boy a smile, besides, if anything, this incident only means they should find a teacher all the more. Who was that person? Why were they down in the basement? Did they cause the power outage? So many questions with so few answers.

Jackie sighed and scratched the back of his head. While he wasn't going to say it out loud, he really hadn't been looking forward to chasing after Zekke if he decided to go outside. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't, he just wouldn't be all too happy about it. This thought had stopped as a new one started to form. Why was he thinking like that? An uncertain look formed in his eyes as he glanced to the side, he was here for a reason and that reason was to become a Pokemon Ranger, right? This time a frown tugged at the corners of his lips. A frown was not a common sight in his case so both Judy and Zekke noticed it right away.

"Jackie?" the girl questioned, "Are you alright?"

Looking up from his thoughts, Jackie blinked a few times as he looked from one to the other. Perhaps pondering his choices in life were best left for a more private situation. Putting on a big grin, the blonde just gave a thumbs up, "Fine, lets go...we better tell Ms. Brooke about what happened."

This seemed to bring the others back to the task at hand rather than concerning themselves over his well being. Zekke cocked his head to the side before casting one last glance out the front door before shrugging. Being the one with the flashlight, he was the first to start walking but only got a few steps before the lights came on. All three glanced up at the ceiling, eyes squinting from the sudden brightness, it seemed that the power was restored...

"Oh my goodness! There you three are!" a woman's voice rang out across the hall, causing all three to jump , "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Zekke was the first to recover, quickly clicking his flashlight off, he ran over and gave Lily a hug. The dorm mother was accompanied by Ms. Brooke and Mr. Gulle. Mr. Gulle chose to ignore the odd ball child and opted to walk towards Judy and Jackie. While his unreadable expression remained etched, unchanging, on his face, once he was in front of the two he stopped.

"Where exactly have you three been?" his tone hinting that it wasn't a question but rather an order to respond. When he didn't get a quick enough response, he drew in a deep breath and heaved a heavy sigh, "Perhaps you didn't hear..."

"We were looking for all of you!" Judy piped in, "Um...I mean, sorry Mr. Jill."

"There was a strange man...eh...or woman..." Jackie then added, he had cut in because Mr. Gulle was starting to look irritated, "I mean, someone was down in the basement besides us and they ran off with something...I think."

"You all were in the basement?" Lily gasped, she then looked down at Zekke, "Good heavens, it's dangerous down there, you could have gotten hurt!" Zekke just looked up and gave a rather defeated, pouty, puppy dog look.

"That's right! We thought that was where you guys went, to fix the backup generator." Judy added.

"Well, what's done is done," Ms. Brooke sighed, "While admirable, you three should not have wondered off." she glanced off to the side looking rather conflicted but then looked back, "If the storm has let up by tomorrow, you three will be assigned to clean up duty as punishment." she was going to add more when something caught her eye.

"Jackie! You're bleeding!"


	3. The Promise

The morning came and the storm had subsided, lying in the medical office, Jackie stared up at the white ceiling with a look of deep concentration. Both of his arms were resting on top of the blanket, one was wrapped in a splint and clean white bandages. The little adventure he and his new friends had the other night had resulted in a fractured arm, though thankfully it wasn't as serious as it could have been. However, what was really on the boy's mind was who that strange man was and what on earth he was doing in the school basement. From what he could recall, it seemed as though he was carrying something, but what? 

Heaving a heavy sigh, Jackie shifted and carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position. It was just then when the door burst open and Judy came running in, Zekke wasn't far behind though he didn't seem nearly as insistent and was also accompanied by Mr. Gulle. 

"Oh my gosh Jackie! I'm so sorry!" Judy was the first to say anything, "Does it hurt?" 

Giving a hesitant chuckle and scratching the back of his head with his uninjured arm, Jackie just gave her a reassuring smile before saying, "Naw, this is nothing, besides, it's not your fault, I was the one who fell remember." There was also the fact that it had been his plan to go wondering around the school in a black out so he knew that it was his responsibility. He was merely reaping what he sewed. 

"Your little stunt certainly caused quite the commotion Mr. Walker," the teacher then cut in, "I'm here to remind you…all three of you…that as punishment you're to clean up the school grounds." He made sure to give each student a look to make sure they understood, when it seemed that they did, he sniffed before turning, "I expect all three of you will be in class, which starts in an hour." He then gave a nod before leaving.

Once he was out of sight, all three friends heaved a collective sigh of relief. Zekke then smiled and hopped onto the bed where he then pulled out a black marker. Without much warning, he gently took hold of Jackie's bandaged arm and started drawing all over it. He was very quick so neither of the other two had time to stop him. Once he was done, there were all sorts of doodles decorating the bandages, from Pokémon to dinosaurs. Giving a wide goofy grin, he climbed off the bed and scrambled out of the room, only checking back a second later to give them both a wave before running off again. 

"I swear, sometimes I wonder about that guy…" Judy sighed, "Anyway, I hope your arm heals quickly! You're going to need it if you want to become a Pokémon Ranger after all!" she then smiled and started towards the door, "And don't be late for class, got it! Today we're having and outdoor class which means we get to meet a real professional Pokémon Ranger!" 

"W-What?! Really! O-ow," in his excitement, Jackie had leaned forward onto his fractured arm causing it to twinge in the most uncomfortable of ways, "I-I mean, I'll be there, make sure to save me a spot! "

"Will do, Jackie!" Judy then nodded before departing, leaving Jackie to lean back and gaze back up at the ceiling. This all was very sudden, a real Pokémon Ranger, this could be his chance to meet one…to talk to one and get some pointers. Not even a stampede of wild Tauros would stop him from getting to that class.

"Heh." Though, what kind of Ranger would he be if he allowed such a stampede to continue and possibly threaten the lives of other people and Pokémon. Rather amused and embarrassed at this thought, the blonde just sighed before pulling the blanket off and climbing out of bed. He had to head back up to the dorms to get changed and grab his books. 

==

Mean while, in the teachers' lounge, the principle was busy speaking with Ms. Brooke, Lily, and Mr. Gulle. Mr. Carnegie wore a very concerned expression as he sat at this desk looking over several papers. It was a report from the Ranger station in the next town. Once he had finished reading, he set the report down before giving a grave sigh.

"It would seem that last night's thief has struck again," he looked up at the other teachers, "It has been confirmed that the items stolen are for THAT certain device." 

The teachers glanced towards one another, they all wore identical looks of dire concern, it was Mr. Gulle who then spoke, "I assume that the Ranger Union as well as local authorities have been contacted."

Mr. Carnegie gave a short nod, "Yes," the older man then slowly got to his feet, "For now its best if we keep this between ourselves, I've expressed these feelings to the authorities as well so the students can continue their education without worry." 

"But sir, they have a right to know what's at stake here…the level of danger…" Lily started, though Mr. Carnegie held up his hand to stop her for just a moment. 

"They do, but at this point we cannot be certain what their intentions are, besides, we have some students with very fiery personalities." The principle gave a hearty smile, "We can't have students taking matters into their own hands…at least…not while they're still so inexperienced." 

==

Jackie was walking down the hall by this point; he had already gotten dressed and had his things in a book bag. He was very much looking forward to the outdoor class that would be taking place after lunch; he wondered who the Ranger would be. From what he had been told by Judy, the students were allowed to ask the Ranger questions, what kind of questions would he ask? There were so many, though he was confident that most of them he would have to learn from experience. Though, in the midst of his thoughts, the blonde boy had rounded a corner and walked straight into a taller figure; which did cause some irritation to his arm, but it wasn't serious this time. 

"There you are you little troublemaker!" a rather familiar voice rang out causing Jackie to look up in shock. It was Myles, and he did not have a very cheery look on his face. In fact, he looked ready to murder somebody, and that somebody was no doubt Jackie himself. "And here I thought we had had ourselves an understanding, you were not to drag my dear Judy into any sort of shenanigans." 

"N-Now Myles, it really wasn't that bad," the boy tried explaining, "Nothing really bad happened and…and"

"Nothing bad? You broke your arm! And Judy, oh poor Judy, because of you she has to lower herself to doing menial labor out in the yard." Myles had smacked his hand against his forehead before redirecting his attention onto Jackie once more, "Have you forgotten what I said about the consequences of something like this happening?" he took a step towards the other, who in turn took a step back.

"I-It was an accident, I didn't mean to get her involved, honest!" it seemed as though nothing he said was going to change the seniors mind, which made Jackie rather nervous now. Though, just when he was certain that he was going to receive the pummeling of his life, a hand suddenly came down and gave his hair a rough but not painful ruffle, "Huh?" blinking, he looked up and saw Myles had glanced off to the side in a rather over emphasized huff.

"Of course, if I actually followed through with beatin' yer butt, Judy would hate me something awful." He then looked back at Jackie and smirked, "Besides, it's against my morals as a near future Pokémon Ranger to punish someone over a misunderstanding." He gave a wink before pushing his hand away and turning, "You better hurry, class is going to start soon, I have a feeling you're really going to enjoy this one~!" 

Myles took his leave and made sure to double time it out of sight, thus leaving Jackie with a rather frazzled expression. While it was hard to believe, he was almost certain that Myles was easily a hundred times stranger than Zekke. However, after the moment had passed, he couldn't help but smile to himself. Strange yes, but somehow he had a feeling that he had made a new friend regardless. Sniffing and fixing his ruffled hair, Jackie checked the clock on the wall and saw that if he didn't hurry he'd be late for class. 

==

Out in the school yard, students had already started to gather. Judy and Zekke were standing together, though Judy was chatting with some of her other friends while Zekke was crouching on the ground playing with one of the wild Pichu that roamed the school grounds. Ms. Brooke was nearby trying to take a head count, though seemed to be having a difficult time since all the students were bustling about in excitement. An outdoors class was always something to look forward to, not only did they get a chance to meet a professional, but they also got to skip all their other classes. 

"Where on earth is Jackie? He's going to miss it!" Judy muttered after her friends had wondered closer to the front of the crowd, she glanced down at Zekke who was still entertaining himself, "Zekke, be careful, you might get shocked." Though, just as she said this, Zekke had playfully poked the Pichu's cheek causing it to discharge a rather abundant amount of electricity. Watching the odd boy getting zapped, Judy could only shake her head. He was lucky that while it may have been a lot of electricity, Pichu weren't able to hold particularly powerful charges. She was about to scold the boy when Jackie finally arrived, "Oh, Jackie! You made it just in time!" 

"Heh, sorry, I ran into Myles on the way here." Jackie apologized, he glanced over at Zekke who looked a little fried but was smiling as big as ever while holding an equally cheery looking Pichu, "Eh…did I miss anything?" 

"Myles!? Ooh, did he do anything to you, I told him not too…" Judy fumed slightly, though Jackie just held up his good arm defensively and told her that he had let him off with a warning and not to worry about it. Frowning never the less, Judy crossed her arms and shook her head, "He's such a troublemaker sometimes, but he's a good guy." 

"Yeah…" Jackie gave a nod just as Ms. Brooke announced they would be heading down to the Pledge Stone, "Hm? Pledge Stone?" 

"That's right! Because of the weather I wasn't able to show you the Pledge Stone!" Judy suddenly perked up, "Don't worry though, just follow everyone else, but I'll have to explain it to you after class ok?" 

Jackie just gave a nod before following the group across the grounds. There was a long flight of downward going stairs that lead to what looked like an open field. At the very center was a large stone with an equally large metal plaque on one side. From the looks of it, the Ranger must not have arrived yet…that was ok though Jackie did feel slightly disappointed. Once everyone had assembled around the stone, Ms. Brooke turned to face them all, holding up her hands in the process to get everybody's attention.

"Alright class, pay attention now! Our special guest will be arriving shortly!" she announced, this caused a hush to spread through the class, Judy had clasped her hands together in excitement as the two boys tried standing on their toes to get a better look at the front of the group. 

A good twenty minutes had passed before the group started to get restless, where was this guy? It wasn't very professional to make people wait like this. Then, there was a gust of wind from the back of the group causing everybody to turn just as a Fearow flew down and landed. On its back was a dark haired young man who was quick to jump down and look out at what used to be the back of the group of students. Ms. Brooke was the first to take action, she moved her way through the students before walking up to the Ranger.

"Ah, I'm glad you could make it, I trust things are running smoothly?" she greeted with a relieved smile. 

The young man just gave a nod, "There was a rather pressing matter that I had to attend to, but everything is under control now," he then turned to the students, "Sorry to keep you all waiting! My name is Spencer and this is my partner." He motioned towards the Fearow. 

All of the students let out a collective, "Ooh!" though Jackie seemed to be the only one who was a little confused. Leaning over towards Judy, who seemed to be preoccupied cooing with the other girls about Spencer.

"Um…Judy, what does he mean by partner? I didn't think that Rangers caught Pokémon." 

Turning to the blonde, Judy just shook her head and held up her index finger in a knowing manner, "Oh no, you're quite right, Pokémon Rangers don't capture Pokémon. Sometimes Rangers have partner Pokémon who help them carry out missions and quests. You see, the Ranger and their partner Pokémon share a very special bond with each other…" 

"That's quite right miss." Spencer suddenly cut in; he had been listening to their conversation and felt that it was as good a time as any to jump in. This made the girls' face turn a bright red that nearly rivaled her hair, which in turn made Spencer chuckle. "I guess now is a good time to take all of your questions, how about we start with you." He then pointed to one of the students who had their hand raised. 

Jackie was looking a little embarrassed as well, but it wasn't as noticeable as it was on Judy. He glanced over at Zekke, who had gone back to playing with Pichu; it seemed rather odd that the boy was showing little to no interest in Spencer like all of the others. Blinking, he made to speak to him, when he realized that he still had more questions. Sighing, he would try talking with Zekke afterwards…looking up; Jackie raised his hand with the other students.

"Alright, one more I think," Spencer scanned over each student before pointing to Jackie, "How about you." 

Now was his chance! He had so many questions, which one did he want to start with? "Has there ever been a mission or quest you haven't been able to complete?" 

Considering the question for a moment, Spencer folded his arms and glanced off to the side. There were a handful of times where he was incapable of completing his assigned missions and such, though he had to consider the fact that he was speaking with a group of students and future Rangers. While he wasn't going to outright lie, he did need to find away to relay reality to them while still sounding positive. After all, things are not going to work out the way one plans them right off the bat. 

Having formulated his thoughts, Spencer redirected his attention back onto the students, "I'm not going to lie, being a Ranger and…even an operator or engineer…can be a difficult job," he looked at Jackie, "And yes, there have been a few that I was unable to complete; however," he looked back at the students, "When we all work together and work as a team, then even the toughest missions can be completed." This seemed to satisfy and impress all of the students that is...save for Zekke who had not been listening the entire time. 

"Now then! I think it's time that I…" Spencer started to say when a strange alarm suddenly went off. It was coming from his capture stylus, which he quickly took out and flipped open almost like a phone, "Spencer here, what seems to be the problem?" a small voice came from the device though nobody was able to hear what was being said save for Spencer of course. His upbeat expression soon changed to a more serious one though, frowning he gave a nod, "Alright, I'll be right there." He then flipped the stylus closed before turning to the students, "It looks like I'll have to cut this class short guys, it seems there's trouble in the north," he then turned to Ms. Brooke, "I'm sorry," he started to say before stepping closer so that he could speak with her more privately, "It seems that the certain item we spoke of earlier is the cause."

"I see," she whispered back, "Alright, I'll cover things on this end, just hurry." Ms. Brooke then stepped back as Spencer held up his hand.

"Alright Fearow! Lets head out!" the large bird Pokémon took flight from the tree it had perched in, swooping down, Spencer grabbed onto its leg before it took off, carrying him with it. All of the students "oh'd" and "ah'd" at the dramatic departure, all in all though they seemed quite thrilled with how things turned out. Sure the class was cut short, but they all knew that the life of a Pokémon Ranger was fast paced and exciting like this. 

In the mean time, Jackie and Judy were talking with one another; Zekke had finally decided to join them since the Pichu he was playing with had run off somewhere. As the other students and Ms. Brooke started to head back to the school, the three friends remained behind for a short while. 

"That Spencer guy was pretty impressive don't you think?!" Judy beamed, "He was so dreamy~" 

Jackie just laughed but agreed, "He was pretty cool, and his partner was impressive too." He then laced his fingers behind his head before gazing up at the sky, though his thoughts were interrupted when Judy started talking again.

"Say, I still haven't told you about the Pledge Stone," she then motioned towards the large stone, "It's where students can come and make wishes or vows. They say that if your heart is true then it will come true." 

"Really?" the blonde boy blinked and studied the stone for a moment before turning to the others, "In that case, let's make a vow…we'll all do our best and become the best! If we have to go our separate ways though, we will promise to meet back here in…hmmm….how long do you think?" 

"How about seven years," Judy suggested, "That way, when we meet again, we'll have a tone of stories to tell about all of the adventures we've been on." 

"That sounds good!" Jackie nodded, he then turned towards Zekke and held out his hand, "You too Zekke, lets vow that in seven years we'll have become the best and have gone on many adventures." 

"And that we'll return here after those seven years and share our stories~!" Judy then added. 

Zekke grinned before nodding and taking Jackie's hand, Judy then took the two boys remaining hands, though was careful since Jackie's other free hand was bound in a sling. They all looked at one another before nodding and laughing. 

"Hey you three! Don't just stand there, class is over which means you guys have some work to do!" Ms. Brooke called out from a few meters away. She could tell what they had been up to and couldn't help but smile to herself.


	4. The Trial of Courage

A few days had passed since the storm and the three friends promise at the Pledge Stone. It was their day off and at that very moment Jackie was busy reading over some notes he had taken in class the day before. Judy was entertaining herself by catching up on gossip with her friends, and Zekke was sitting at the same table as Jackie; however, he seemed to be just staring off into space. This wasn't really that uncommon a sight so nobody really questioned it. Jackie's gaze had migrated upwards and cast waywardly towards the dark haired boy. Even though they were friends, in a manner of speaking, he still found it rather odd and unnerving that he had not once heard the other speak. Of course, it wasn't usually very hard to understand him, his actions were simple and easy to read either way. He slowly blinked as he returned his attention to his notes. The blonde had been reading up on the history of the Ranger Union as well as the various Ranger stations placed in the many different regions. He had been pleasantly surprised to learn the location of the one in his home region of Kanto.

 

A soft movement brought the boy's gaze back up, Zekke had moved for the first time since he'd sat down. The other stretched and yawned before giving Jackie a gleeful smile, he then pointed at the arm that was still in a sling as if inquiring about it. Though it took a moment, Jackie caught on and gave a smile back, "It's doing much better now, though it'll be a few weeks before it's completely healed." this response seemed to please the silent one as he gave a hearty nod of the head before getting to his feet. He was just about to turn and leave but found himself walking straight into a taller form. A slightly startled look graced the usually cheerful boy's face for a split second but it was only Myles so his smile was quick to return. One look also told both boys that the upperclassman was carrying a bag with him, they both wondered for half a second what was inside, but neither had time to dwell any further than that. 

 

"Figure's I'd find you lot here..." the older student sighed, "you do know it's amazing outside right? It would be an unforgivable sin not to be out there practicing your capturing dontcha think?"

 

"Eh...capturing? We haven't covered that yet and..." Jackie started to say, only to have a hand suddenly grab the top of his head in a firm hold, "Uh..." Myles had some how managed to slip over to his side and now held his head captive.

 

"You want to be the very best?" he then asked, there was almost a dangerously demanding gleam in his eyes, "Like no Ranger ever was?"

 

Something about those words made Jackie give a hesitant chuckle, "Why do I feel like...I've heard those words..." the boy started, only to be cut off once more as the hand gave his hair a rough ruffle.

 

"Must you fight me tooth and nail?!" Myles exclaimed, "Now listen, don't sweat the details, besides...you'll have me there and I know all about capturing." he then released Jackie's head leaving his hair comically messed up, "Anyway, the teachers encourage the students to practice on their own. Look at it this way, you'll just have a bit more experience when you guys do finally get to learning about capturing." Myles' tone had grown more blatantly demanding, he was no longer making this a request and both boys seemed to have caught on that escape was futile. 

 

Seeing that there was no getting out of this and the idea of actually trying out his first capture were two very powerful motivators. Jackie sighed and smiled before nodding, "Yeah, okay...lets give that a shot." he then looked towards Zekke, "What do you say Zekke? Sound like fun?" the dark haired male gave an enthusiastic nod in agreement. 

 

And so, with his two accomplices in hand, Myles lead the two boys out of the common area. They made their way through the hall and down the stairs before spanning the long hall that lead to the main doors. It truly was a beautiful day, it would have been hard to imagine a raging storm only a few days ago. either way, the Pidgy and Taillow were all twittering cheerfully as Oddish and other small, grassy Pokemon scampered in and out of the school grounds playfully. There wasn't a cloud in the big blue sky and the faint sound of the ocean could just barely be heard over the soft rustling of the tree leaves.

 

Standing at the top of the stairs, Myles drew in a deep breath before exhaling in his overly confidant fashion. He then rounded on the two underclassman and said, "Alright! Today is your lucky day for I!" he pressed his thumb to his chest, "Myles, have managed to acquire three school stylus' for today's fine lesson in capturing!" with that, he held up the mystery bag, "BEHOLD!"

 

"You know, you're making a scene..." 

 

"Hush mortal!" Myles interrupted Jackie's comment, which seemed to make Zekke grin a bit, "Look, I got a buddy in that department who let me borrow these today, I told him me and a couple of friends wanted to practice...though I didn't tell him that those friends are newbie's." sniffing, he straightened himself out before holding open the bag, "Hurry up, hurry up, the art of capturing is not something just anybody can pick up on ya know. It takes time, energy, sweat!" 

 

The other two boys just looked at one another before shrugging. Zekke was the first to reach into the bag and pull out the school grade stylus, followed by Jackie, and then Myles took out the last. There wasn't really anything special about this particular stylus, though it bore a similar resemblance to the full version that the actual Rangers used. It lacked the communication device and only had enough energy to make small captures. 

 

"Alright, follow me, I know this great spot with lots of Pokemon." Myles then slung the empty bag over his shoulder before leading the boys down the steps and across the school grounds. At this time, Judy had noticed that the boys had gone. She had seen Myles sneaking around so she knew he had been up to something. She also knew him well enough to know that Jackie and Zekke were not going to be put in harms way...probably. 

 

Meanwhile, Jackie was walking a half step back from Zekke. His thoughts had wondered back to his silence. Perhaps he was simply mute? Or maybe deaf? No, he couldn't be deaf since he seemed to understand everything he's said until now. Though, there is the chance he could just be that good at lip reading. He really was a strange and mysterious person, or perhaps he was just over thinking the others situation...perhaps he was just that strange. Jackie sighed and held up the stylus he was now carrying. Studying it and trying to figure out how it worked exactly, the small shiver of excitement had returned. His first capture...it was impossible to keep from smiling, though it also got his mind wondering about the partner Pokemon. He understood that they were special Pokemon that stuck with their Ranger partner, but how exactly did one go about getting one? Was it like with trainers? Or was it different? Could he choose his partner or was one chosen for him?

 

When Myles stopped, the motley group had strayed rather far from the school but found themselves in a clearing surrounded by thick forest. Quickly walking up and standing next to the upperclassman, Jackie asked, "This doesn't really have to do with capturing but...when do Rangers get their partners?"

 

Myles just quirked an eyebrow at the blonde boy, he then laughed and shook his head, "You don't 'get' your partner Pokemon Jack, the partner Pokemon picks you." he then grinned, "Now, lets rustle up some Pokemon shall we." and with that, Myles brought his hand up to his mouth and pressed two fingers against his lips. With a soft yet firm blow, he made a whistling sound that echoed through the clearing. At first there was nothing, but then a loud barking could be heard. As it drew nearer, a Growlithe suddenly popped out of the bushes and dashed over. It skidded to a stop before hopping up and down and placing its paws up on Myles' legs. Grinning from ear to ear, Myles crouched down and ruffled the puppy Pokemon's fur cooing. Once they both seem satisfied, Myles stood with the Growlithe sitting cheerfully at his feet.

 

"Alright, I'm sure by now you've at least gone over the basics of capturing in class right?" his gaze passed from one to the other, when the other two gave one another identical looks of uncertainty, Myles heaved a heavy sigh, "Okay, can you at least tell me how capturing works and what the difference is between a Pokemon Ranger and a Pokemon Trainer?" 

 

"Oh! Capturing is when a Pokemon Ranger uses their stylus to convey feelings of friendship towards a Pokemon." Jackie started to explain, "The difference between Rangers and Trainers is that Rangers only capture Pokemon temporarily and don't use PokeBalls." 

 

"Very good! Now, allow me to demonstrate exactly how that works." Myles held up his stylus before turning towards the Growlithe, "Alright little guy, lets show the newbies how we work!" the Growlithe barked before jumping up and dashing off into the bushes again. A mere second later, several Pichu came scampering out all looking a little frightened. Growlithe was not far behind, playfully barking and chaising after the little electric Pokemon. 

 

Jackie was watching curiously though wasn't sure if this could be considered a fair example, but Zekke seemed to be just as agitated as the Pichu. He shifted his weight nervously and didn't look any pleased at the sight. 

 

"Now watch," Myles gave a whistle and the Growlithe stopped and looked in his direction, "Capture on!" the capture disc was launched from the stylus and zoomed towards the small group, with a flick of the wrist, Myles looped the stylus around causing the disc to circle around the Pichu . The loop closed in around them before fading. The capture was complete. The small group of Pichu all looked cheerful now as they rushed over and jumped around playfully at Myle's feet. "See, just like that." 

 

Zekke crouched down and held his hands out towards the Pichu, all of which turned their attention from the ignoring senior and went scampering towards the more willing student. Grinning from ear to ear, Zekke scooped them up and bounced around. Jackie just watched this display before turning back towards Myles, "I think I get it." he then glanced down at the stylus he carried and then at the arm that was still in a sling, before stepping forward and looking around. He was rather impressed that Myles was able to do a group capture, but Jackie wasn't sure he was quite ready for something quite like that. Of course, he also only had the use of one arm at the moment so he figured he would try something small and simple. Then he spotted a Taillow, "Hmm…that'll work." 

 

Myles turned to look as well, "Ah…" he started to say, but Jackie had already started.

 

"Capture on!" just as Myles' had, the capture disc shot out and flew towards the resting bird Pokemon. When it made its first loop, the Pokemon suddenly woke up and let out a rather shrill screech. The noise had startled not only Jackie, but the little Pichu as well. They all panicked and started sparking until one set off a thunder shock. Poor Zekke was shocked for the second time, this time though he was knocked to the ground. The Pichu all scattered as the Taillow took off, the loop was broken and sent a rather nasty shock right back to the stylus causing it to spark, "Ow!" not expecting to be zapped as well, Jackie dropped it. 

 

In the mean time, Myles had only placed a hand over his face. It was hard to tell what he was feeling, but when he looked up he seemed to be torn between holding back a flurry of laughs, or a serious scolding. Zekke slowly sat up looking a little fried and dazed, he had a few very minor electrical burns on his hands and arms, which made him wince and frown. It didn't seem natural to see such an expression on the cheery boy, but Jackie was quick to jump into action. "Zekke! Are you alright?" 

 

The dark haired boy just let out a slight cough before giving a hesitant grin, "What happened?" the blond then asked Myles. The senior had composed himself for the most part before lowering his hand and crossing his arms.

 

"That little one you tried capturing is rather notorious for loop breaking, it's not very friendly I suppose. But what you should really watch out for is the Swellow." Sighing and shaking his head, Myles grinned, "Anyway, whenever a loop is broken, it causes damage to the stylus and drains the energy. I guess there wasn't enough juice in yours ." he then turned towards Zekke, "But yours! I'm sure is at full power now!" that little bit had broken the upperclassman's resolve and he busted out laughing. "B-But I think we should maybe head back, Zekke needs to see the nurse for those burns." 

 

Jackie could only give a nod in agreement while helping Zekke to his feet. His fellow classmate still looked a little wobbly, though it begged the question, how many times had Zekke been shocked like this? Staring a moment, making sure that the other could at least stand, Jackie went back over to where he had dropped his stylus but it wasn't there, "Hm?". There was a slight rustle in the trees which made him look up, but he didn't see anything. The small bird Pokemon had disappeared, but he got a rather odd feeling that he was being watched. Fidgeting, he took a small step back before turning and going back to join up with the other two. 

 

The three boys made their way back to the school, they had been gone for about an hour. When they reached the dorms though, they were greeted by Judy. One look at Zekke and she turned on Myles with a vengeance. "What happened to him!?" 

 

"Ah, yeah…about that…" Myles started.

 

"It was my fault, we were practicing capturing and I sort of messed up, Zekke got shocked by some Pichu…..again….." Jackie jumped in, hoping that he could spare Myles a verbal reprimanding by his "beloved" Judy. However, his rescue attempt quickly backfired when she gave him a stern look, but the fury was returned to Myles regardless.

 

"Capturing!? You know we haven't gone over that in class yet! What were you thinking? Now look at Zekke, he's hurt…you should be ashamed of yourself Myles!" Judy had gone over to check on Zekke, the boy just wore his usual smile and tried to give her an "I'm ok, really" look, but it didn't seem to be working either. 

 

Looking like a kicked puppy, Myles could only mumble, "I was just trying to help…" 

 

This time Judy just stared at him before guiding Zekke off in the older male's direction, "The least you can do is take Zekke to the nurses office," Myles opened his mouth to respond, "Ah! I'm not going to hear it." she cut in. Myles just returned the look with one of his own, before grumbling and motioning for Zekke to follow. Some of Myle's classmates had joined up with him and seemed to be laughing and calling him 'whipped', which was only responded with a loud denial and a flurry of laughter. 

 

Jackie glanced over at Judy who still looked rather irritated, he then walked over and started to speak, but Judy cut him off just as she had Myles, "I'm not really that angry, but really…he should have known. I mean, what if Zekke had really gotten hurt?" upon closer inspection, that irritated look he thought she was wearing was actually a concerned look, "You two really don't have to play along with his antics you know." she then turned towards the other. 

 

Looking and feeling a bit more guilty now, Jackie just rubbed the back of his neck before sighing, "I'm sorry, I guess I just really wanted to learn capturing," nibbling on his bottom lip for a second, he then smiled, "But don't worry, something like this won't happen again, I promise!" 

 

"Really?" Judy gave him a wary look, "Alright, I trust you, besides, you're not reckless like Myles. But your arm is still injured, you could have made it worse."

 

"Aw, he means well, you know that…but I'm fine, really, it's nothing to worry about." Jackie laughed, "I better go check on Zekke." he turned and took off towards the nurses office. Judy just watched and gave a slight smile before shaking her head. Perhaps she had been a little hard on Myles, she knew he was a goof and didn't mean for something like this to happen. If anything, he was a very reliable guy, he was just reckless…

 

==

 

"OH, GODS!" 

 

The cry rang out across the boys dorm when Myles started ransacking his bunking area. Tearing into every bag, every drawer, every nook and cranny, in search of something. Both Jackie and Zekke looked up and over at the other, Zekke had bandages wrapped around his hands and arms and didn't seem to like moving them. So, it was Jackie who had gotten to his feet and walked over to see what all the commotion was about.

 

"What's wrong?" the boy started to ask, only to have the taller male round on him and grab his shoulders, it had been a good thing he had gone and not Zekke, the grip on him was a little painful.

 

"Where is it?! The third stylus?! I have two, but I can't find the third!"

 

"Stylus…eh…" Jackie's eyes grew very large, "Oh…" 

 

"Oh? Oh?! What do you mean, oh?!" Myles' grip grew tighter, "You know where it is don't you?!" 

 

Jackie gave a rather forced smile while looking off to the side, "Uh, actually…I think it might still be, in the woods, in that clearing." 

 

"You think?! Why don't you know?!" 

 

"Well," Jackie tried looking the other in the face, but found the look he was being given far too much to stare at directly, "I'd gone to pick it up, but it was gone…disappeared." 

 

Myles let out a very pathetic sound before dropping to his hands and knees, "They're going to kill me, Judy is going to kill me, I said I'd have them back by the end of the day but it's already night time." at this point, it looked as if Myles was on the verge of tears. Like Zekke's frown, it wasn't natural to see this sort of display put on by the boisterous upperclassman.

 

Taking a step back, Jackie looked over his shoulder at Zekke who gave him a questioning tilt of the head. He let out a startled gasp when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Myles had gotten back to his feet, "I've got it…even though you've been here a while already, I think it's time…" recomposing himself as best as possible, Myles then finished, "The trial of courage, you have to go into the woods and find that last stylus. But with the curfew you'll get in trouble if you're caught, so…make it back here with the stylus before the morning and without getting caught and you pass." 

 

"I was going to do that…" Jackie began, "Wait what…pass? Pass what?" 

 

"The trial! Every new student has to do it…yours is just a little late, that's all." Myles grumbled.

 

Jackie just sighed, Judy's words were already ringing in his ears. Of course, he had already planned on going to look for the stylus since it had been his fault that it got lost. There was also the fact that it was dark out that made him slightly more apprehensive about doing it right away. He really didn't like the dark. He didn't mind it so much if there were other people around, or if he knew exactly where a source of light was…but still. Gaze moving over towards the door, Jackie just stared at it for a long moment. That was when a second hand suddenly took hold of his shoulder. Blinking, he turned to find it was Zekke. The boy was giving him a reassuring smile before pointing to both of them and then the door.

 

"You…want to go with me?" 

 

Zekke gave a cheerful nod before dashing over to his nightstand and pulling out his flashlight, the same flashlight from their first night. Rejoining Jackie, Zekke grabbed his hand and started towards the door.

 

"Hold up! Zekke, you can't go, you're hurt remember." Myles was quick to jump in front of the two, "Besides, you already did a trial, it's hardly fair if…" the older male stopped, while Zekke was smiling, a rather unsettling knot had formed in his stomach, "Eh…just….don't go and get yourself hurt any more, Judy'll have my hide if you do." he took a step to the side and watched as the two friends left the dorm. 

 

"Sheesh…Zekke isn't in a very good mood now is he…" Myles muttered. 

 

Jackie and Zekke made their way down the hall, they made sure to move as swiftly and as quietly as possible so is not to wake anybody up. It was dark and still Zekke hadn't turned the flashlight on, but he kept a rather firm grip on Jackie's hand while leading the way. The blonde had forgotten how unnerving the school felt at night, but he kept up with Zekke and tried not to think about it. This was something he had to learn to get over someday, a Pokemon Ranger who was scared of the dark? He didn't want to be like that. But, before he knew it, the two were standing in front of the main doors. Zekke turned to him and lifted a finger up to press to his lips. Getting the message, Jackie nodded while Zekke carefully pushed the doors open. Slipping outside and just as carefully closing the door behind them, Jackie and Zekke took off down the stone steps and across the grounds until they reached the edge of the forest. 

 

"The clearing should just be through here…right?" Jackie squinted and tried to see, even with the moon out, it was difficult to see. Zekke though, just glanced behind them before finally turning the flashlight on. Pointing it in the direction Jackie had mentioned, he started walking. A cool breeze rustled the leaves making an eerie sound, the grounds were very different at night. All sorts of nocturnal Pokemon were appearing, HootHoot and Noctowl's could be seen sitting in trees watching as they passed by. Rattata were also scampering about hunting. 

 

The walk felt longer in the dark, Jackie instantly gripped Zekke's hand a little tighter before he felt a wince from the other boy. "Oh…sorry…" he quickly let go of the others hand only to have his own taken back, "Hm?"

 

Zekke had stopped and turned to look at him. Holding the flashlight onto their hands he shook his head, he then turned and started walking again. Jackie wasn't sure what the other had meant by that, but he didn't argue. It was more than a little awkward, but he did feel a little better knowing there was somebody else there. 

 

Not long after, the two came into a clearing. It was hard to say if it was the same clearing, but Jackie quickly let go of Zekke's hand again and started looking. "It was right around here I think," he called over, "Lets get this over with quickly ok." the wind picked up a bit making that rustling sound again. Zekke just stood and looked around, that's when the Growlithe suddenly jumped out from the bushes. Both boys jumped up and turned to see it running towards them, Jackie crouched down and opened his arms, but the puppy Pokemon shot right past them. "Huh?" standing and watching as it disappeared into the forest, Jackie looked over at Zekke who in turn looked at him, both rather puzzled. 

 

Then, Zekke suddenly turned his flashlight on Jackie just as a large Swellow swooped down and slammed right into the blonde. A startled cry escaped him as he hit the ground hard, Zekke came running over waving the flashlight and trying to scare it off. The larger bird just screeched and flapped its wings before taking off again. Groaning, Jackie haphazardly rolled onto his side before pushing himself up. His wounded arm protested the added weight but the stinging he was feeling on his back was enough to make him forget about it temporarily. "Ow…" 

 

Zekke crouched down next to him to see how he was doing, Jackie just gave a thumbs up before looking around. "That was the Swellow Myles told us about wasn't it." Zekke just nodded, but then quickly grabbed Jackie by the shirt and pulled him down. The Taillow had swooped down to try and attack them as well, but wasn't expecting them both to duck. It crashed into the ground, but recovered quickly. Zekke tugged at Jackie's shirt some more and pointed towards the tiny bird. 

 

"Ah! The stylus!" sure enough, the reason it had crashed was because it was also carrying the stylus with it. The added weight had thrown it off balance. It twittered angrily before taking off, leaving the stylus on the ground. "Now's our chance!" Jackie jumped up and made a dash for the device, the Swellow, which was still circling around the clearing, swooped down again. Jumping to his feet, Zekke dashed forward and shoved Jackie forward just as it slammed into him instead. Thrown to the ground, flashlight sent flying off in some obscure direction, the dark haired male didn't move as the large bird took to the sky again. 

 

Jackie had stumbled forward and landed right in front of the stylus. Quickly grabbing it, he turned on his knee to see that Zekke was lying motionless on the ground a few feet away. Drawing in a sharp breath he looked down at the stylus, it had little to no power left. Looking up, he saw the two bird Pokemon circling above them. This was a very bad situation, there was no way he could carry Zekke out of there without being attacked, he couldn't use the stylus to capture them and even if he could he'd have to do it one at a time which meant the other would try to attack him as well, and it looked like they aimed to attack them anyway. 

 

Slowly getting to his feet, Jackie watched as the Taillow swooped down, he was able to dodge the small one, but the Swellow had followed seconds after and managed to slam right into Jackie's side. Like Zekke had been, Jackie was thrown a few feet before hitting the ground. All his weight had landed on the injured side, there was a rather sickening crack and sharp pain that told him that the fracture had turned into a complete break. Groaning and whimpering, he struggled to get up, the two birds were circling again, no doubt waiting for him to try and get up again. The boy's fingers gripped the stylus tightly as he squeezed his eyes shut. What could they do? What could he do? The feeling of helplessness was no stranger to him. Just like that time in the mountains…

 

Jackie's hand twitched, he slowly opened his eyes. There was a Pichu standing by his hand, it was sparking slightly, then a second one, though this one had scampered up and gave the side of his face a small zap which made him jump slightly. The one still by his hand sparked again before zapping it, making him let go of the stylus. Both Pichu's seemed to cheer before taking hold of the device and zapping it as well. "Wh-wait, hey!" Jackie reached out and grabbed it, the two Pichu's just scampered away. Wobbling slightly, Jackie rubbed the side of his face, it felt a little numb, as did his hand, but when he looked down at the stylus, he saw that it was at half power. "Huh…how…" 

 

It was then that he remembered what Myles had said after Zekke had been shocked. His stylus must have been at full power, the Pichu's electricity had recharged it! Looking up, the Taillow and Swellow were still circling but they looked ready to strike again. Eyes narrowing, Jackie hobbled to his feet before turning and facing them. This apparently was enough of a challenge that the two bird Pokemon took one last circle before swooping into a dive. 

 

Lifting the stylus up, Jackie shouted, "Capture on!" the capture disc shot out and looped around both Pokemon. Not waiting for them to respond, Jackie swung the stylus around making the loop close around the two. When it disappeared, the two birds had pulled out of their attack. Both flew over, the Taillow landing on Jackie's head and the Swellow landing on the ground next to him. Jackie though, felt his whole body trembling, he was still in shock that he'd managed to complete a double capture on two attacking Pokemon. But when all the excitement died down, he really started feeling the pain from his broken arm as well as all the cuts and bruises he'd earned. 

 

Staggering, he dropped to the ground again while trying to catch his breath. The Taillow had fluttered up when he'd fallen, but then landed on his head once again, using it's tiny talons to pull at his blonde hair. The Swellow pecked and scratched at the ground in front of him, Jackie just glanced up at the bird, "S-Sorry…" he mumbled, "Could you take this…back to the school, the room with the light on…" he pushed the stylus towards the Swellow, who then picked it up in its larger talons before flying off. "O-ow…" His eyelids felt like lead, Jackie tried to stay awake, but the harder he tried the faster he seemed to slip out of consciousness. Before he even knew it happened, he was out like a light.


	5. The Parting of Ways

Once again, Jackie found himself staring up at a white ceiling. Like before, he was lying in a bed in the nurses office. He wasn't entirely sure how or when he had gotten there, much less when he had actually woken up or if Zekke was alright. Now that he really thought about it, he couldn't really recall what had happened. It wasn't so much that he'd lost his memory of it, it was just all a blur. Sniffing, Jackie sighed and lat his head roll to the right, the bed there was empty. Blinking, he turned towards the left and found that the bed on that side was occupied. Was it Zekke? Blinking again, Jackie tried sitting up only to find that his arm was in a cast and slightly elevated. He didn't feel any pain, that didn't seem right, he tried talking but no sound came out. He then looked back over at the bed to the right and the person that had been lying there was gone, blinking, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his shoulder. Spinning around, a giant Swellow suddenly unfurled its wings and lunged at him. Letting out a startled cry, Jackie sprang up, just as his hand went down to catch himself, it slipped from the bed and he went toppling over the side. 

 

A large crash could be heard from inside the nurses office, Judy and Myles both rushed in only to find that Jackie was awake and had apparently fallen out of bed. He was all tangled in the blanket and groaning. Almost frantic, Judy was the one who ran over and helped the boy up, "Oh my gosh, Jackie! You're awake! Are you alright? What happened?" 

 

The blonde just blinked and stared dazedly around, it must have been a dream, a very strange and unappreciated dream. That pain he wasn't feeling before he was feeling now, though it seemed dulled as did his head. "Just…a bad dream…" Jackie then replied with a heavy sigh. His gaze slowly migrated over towards the neighboring bed, there was a familiar tuft of dark hair poking out from under the blankets, "How's Zekke?" 

 

"What on earth is wrong with you two?!" Judy had grabbed Jackie by the face and forced him to look at her, "You both could have been killed!" she then let go and huffed slightly, "But, you're both alive and that's good." 

 

The blonde could only smile slightly while using his good hand to rub the side of his face. While the night before was a little fuzzy, the extensive amount of cuts and bruises quickly reminded him of the highlighted moment. He'd made his first capture. Well, there was that one thing at the beginning where he had to try act capture something…that hadn't ended well, he'd failed to capture the Pokemon. But now he could happily say he'd done it. Jackie's smile faded when he glanced back over at Zekke.

 

"Zekke's fine, he only sustained a few minor bruises." Judy spoke up when she noticed the concern growing on her friends face, "He sleeps like a log though." she smiled and placed a hand on the others shoulder, "Come on, back into bed, since it was the day off, none of the teachers were around. We're all keeping quiet about this little mishap so you two don't get into trouble." 

 

Chuckling, Jackie gave a nod while being helped to his feet. Sliding back into bed, Myles was the one who pulled the covers up. He didn't exactly look too well either, his silence was probably the most worrisome. However, Jackie already knew what it was about so he just gave the senior a punch on the arm, "Guess what…" he then said, this seemed to catch Myles' attention, "I did a double capture, that Swellow and Tailow you said were so troublesome….I captured them." 

 

Still, Myles said nothing, but his down look had suddenly brightened. Jackie then gave him a thumbs up before Judy shooed the taller male away. She gave her own good bye before leaving as well. Once the two were gone, Jackie just leaned back against his pillow and gazed up at the ceiling. Alone again, well…not really. Zekke was there, that's right, he'd been thrown a few feet when he jumped in front of that Swellow. Shifting and turning to stare at the sleeping lump, green eyes narrowed slightly and seemed to burn holes into the slowly raising and falling covers. Frowning again, Jackie shook his head, the fact that he came out of that ordeal with just a few bruises was super lucky…almost ridiculously so. No matter, he shifted and gingerly pulled the covers over his splinted arm and then shoulders, he'd rest for now and think about it later. 

 

==

 

"So, this is the first piece of the device?" an older man inquired, he was holding a glass cylinder with what looked like a computer chip securely stored inside. There were others standing around him, most of them were dressed in formal looking black suits and ties, the man himself was dressed in finer looking attire. He turned the glass container over a few times before looking up, "And the locations of the other's?" 

 

An attractive woman with long auburn hair then stepped forward, "That idiot nephew of yours was able to acquire that from the Ranger school about a month ago, he caused quite a stir, enough so that it has the whole Ranger Union upping their security." her gaze turned towards a specific individual before turning back towards the older male, "However, our agents were able to capture the other pieces as well, though they had since been relocated to other regions. It will take a few months before they can make it back here." she then looked towards the chip, "What research we've completed so far has told us that this chip alone is far more advanced than we had originally predicted. It could take much longer to fully develop the complete device…"

 

"Hey! You've got some nerve callin' me an idiot! If it weren't for that little brat I wouldn't have been found out!" the implicated male had stepped forward.

 

"Oh please, because of you it took us twice as long to get the other pieces! You're incompetence is staggering!" 

 

"You're just jealous that I was able to get the first piece back before your specially trained lap dogs you old hag!" 

 

"YOU ARROGANT LITTLE BAS-"

 

"Now, now you two, bickering won't solve anything," the older man handed the chip off to one of the other members before walking towards the woman, "We all have to learn to play nice, remember what our mission is." he smiled at her and then turned towards the other, "And as for you, what is the status of….that…." 

The male quirked a questioning eye brow before rolling his crimson eyes and scoffing, "Tch, as good as can be expected I guess…." 

"Good, good, remember, that is our trump card." the man smiled and gave the other a hearty pat on the back. He then started towards the further end of the room they were in, a door slid open and the man exited, leaving the others to either converse or disperse. The two bickering one's just turned and glared at one another before the male took his leave as well. 

 

= Three Years Later=

 

"Jaaaaackie! Come on! We're going to be late!" Judy's voice rang out from outside the boys dorm, she looked rather frantic but excited none the less, Zekke was standing with her looking like his usual cheery self. Jackie in the mean time was busy looking more like the frazzled frantic than the excited frantic while tossing his section of the dorm apart. "Jackie!" 

 

"I know I'm coming!" his voice practically squeaked when he shouted back, but the panic was still there. Judy just laughed and shook her head, Zekke gave her sleeve a tug before pointing to the clock. She just shooed his hand away before shouting back.

 

"You can look for your acceptance letter AFTER the ceremony you know!" she then started towards the door, "Besides, if you've lost it, I'm sure they're not going to turn you down over it." 

 

The dorm room door burst open with Jackie tumbling out with a small river of books and clothes tangled around his feet. He was able to keep himself from falling completely, but it was a less than graceful affair. Once situated, he heaved a heavy sigh, "I thought I had packed it in my trunk…" he muttered, "I can't find it anywhere now." 

 

"Look, don't worry about it ok…Zekke and I will help you look for it." Judy smiled before grabbing his upper arm, "Now come on! Graduation will be starting in twenty minutes and you're a mess!" she dragged the poor boy through the hall and down the staircase, Zekke close behind. The day they'd all been waiting for had finally arrived. The day when they graduated and became full fledged Pokemon Rangers and operators, and engineers. Myles had graduated at the end of their first year, he'd been accepted to work at one of the Ranger stations in Sinnoh along with his partner Pokemon Growlithe. Now it was their turn, Jackie had already been accepted at the Ringtown station in Fiore and Judy would be off to the Ranger Union. Zekke had put in a request to be stationed in his home region of Unova, which was also accepted so he would be heading out to Castelia City. 

 

The graduation ceremony would be taking place on the school's front lawn. Most of the faculty and students helped with the organization and set up weeks in advance. And now that the day had come and all of the students and teachers were gathered, Mr. Carnegie was standing atop the stage that had been set up adjusting the microphone on the podium. Judy, Zekke, and Jackie arrived soon after and took their seats with the other graduating students. 

 

Not long after the ceremony had started, now standing at the front of the line of students, the three friends listened as Mr. Carnegie made his opening speech. He commended and congratulated the entire graduating class and bid them all good luck in their respective fields. Mr.Gulle then stood so that he too could give a small speech before presenting his class with their diploma's, shaking each of their hands and wishing them all luck. For him it seemed rather faked since he was never one to fully enjoy suck formalities. His efforts; however, were well received by most of his class, all of whom found it very entertaining. Miss. Brooke was next, she took to the podium once the ruffled male teacher was seated. She took one look across the sea of students and smiled. She then began her speech which was filled with many praises and bits of everyday life lessons. 

 

"All of you, I am proud and honor to have had you as students. I know that all of you will do wonderful things." she then turned towards the table set up a few steps behind the podium and picked up the first of the diploma's for her own class, "And now, I would like to present my class with their diploma's, first will be Lorena Abner." the girl who's name was called seemed to perk up before going up to receive her diploma. Once she was back to her spot, Miss. Brooke continued to read off names, Judy was the first of the friends to go up, followed by Zekke, Jackie was the last to be called up and once he was up in front of Miss. Brooke he couldn't keep the wide smile from his face. Once he had returned to his spot, Miss. Brooke turned back to the podium and concluded, "Thank you again, and good luck, all of you!" 

 

With that, everybody cheered and whooped, once the initial ceremony was over they were free to mingle and enjoy the refreshments that had been prepared. Judy turned towards Zekke and Jackie with a big smile, "Well, it's official you guys! You two are officially Pokemon Rangers, and I'm off to the Ranger Union as an operator." she then turned towards Jackie, "This is so exciting, I'll be leaving tomorrow what about you two?" 

 

"I'm heading out this evening," Jackie replied, "Zekke will be heading for Unova tomorrow as well, I think it was." he glanced over at Zekke who gave a nod and a smile, "So, this is the last day we'll be together like this." 

 

The three friends all looked at one another silently, this was the official start of their promise. They would be going their separate ways soon and probably not see one another for some time. Heaving a heavy sigh, Jackie smiled and brought his hands up behind his head, "Hey, lets not look so gloomy, I've still got a few hours before I head out so lets enjoy it!" 

 

"Yeah, that's a great idea Jackie." Judy beamed before grabbing the two boys by the arms and dragging them off to get refreshments. The atmosphere was filled with laughter and some tears as friends said their good-byes. Judy had disappeared for a short while, in which Zekke and Jackie entertained themselves, when she returned she was carrying to wrapped items. Jackie took notice of them first and seemed ready to inquire about them, but the girl responded to his unasked question first. "I put these together for you guys." she handed the top one to Zekke and the bottom to Jackie, "I hope you like them." 

 

Both boys accepted the items and started unwrapping them. Once the paper was removed, a picture frame was reveled. Inside were their acceptance letters and a group photo. Zekke seemed really excited about it, while Jackie just seemed to smile and shake his head. "You had it this whole time?" he then asked.

 

"Yup! I made one for myself as well, that way we all have a little something to remember our school days, you know." Judy replied.

 

Chuckling, Jackie walked up to the two and put his arms around their necks in a hug, "This was really great, thanks." he then said before taking a step back, "I'm going to miss you guys, though I'm sure we'll run into each other down the road." glancing around he sighed, it was actually hard to believe that so much time had passed. He could still recall the numerous little adventures he'd had and now he was off to have real adventures. He was finally going to realize his dream, this was the moment.

 

"Oh, Jackie! Look at the time!" Judy suddenly exclaimed, pulling the blonde from his thoughts, "You have to get going!" 

 

"Huh, oh geez!" jumping back, Jackie looked at his own watch before looking back at the other two and giving them a hesitant smile, he opened his mouth to say something but Judy held up her hand to stop him.

"Just go, we'll miss you Jackie." she said, Zekke nodded as well and started to wave. 

Taking the hint, Jackie just smirked before turning and dashing off and waving over his shoulder.


	6. The New Recruit

Upon his arrival at Ringtown, Jackie was greeted by Spencer who gave him a quick tour of the town before bringing him to the Ranger station he would be calling home. He could hardly believe it, even with everything happening right before his eyes Jackie could hardly contain his excitement. Finally, after everything he was finally a Pokémon Ranger. Breathing in a deep breath, which only made the knot in his chest tighten but a grin spread wide across his face none the less. Adjusting the strap of his bag over one shoulder, the blonde then turned towards his superior and asked.

"When do I get started sir?" 

Spenser, who had been speaking with a female ranger, turned back to face the younger. He gave him a curious look but then grinned and chuckled, "Excited are we? Well, I suppose your first mission should be to change into your uniform." This sort of eagerness was common amongst new rangers, he was used to it by now so when Jackie looked ready to crawl under a rock he just gave the other a pat on the back, "Come on, everyone gets a little overly excited, don't worry about it." Spenser lead Jackie towards one of the right hand doors, "You can change in hear, your uniform should be hanging to the left, if it's not the right size just let me know and we can have it fixed." 

It really had been a rather embarrassing moment, having thought he'd had his excitement at least somewhat in check such an obvious oversight; even with the understanding of his superior, Jackie just hid his face behind his hand. Never the less, he followed Spenser to the room and went inside. The door was quick to close behind him leaving the young man in what appeared to be a dimly lit break room. On both sides were little nooks with name plates. Some had uniforms hanging in them; others were empty or looked to have other personal affects stored inside. His gaze scanned the entire room, taking in the handful of tables and chairs for resting as well as a kitchenette near the back. It was comfortable but not as impressive as he was expecting. This was fine though because soon his green eyes fell on his own name. Perking up, the blonde walked over to one of the nooks to the left where Spenser had mentioned. 

'Jack Walker' The grin he'd been containing earlier escaped him, and hanging there, right under his name was his uniform. "Alright…" taking the uniform down, he quickly got undressed and pulled the uniform on. Tugging at the sleeves of the signature red jacket, an actual frown formed on Jackie's face. It wasn't exactly comfortable and the pants felt a bit big. Scratching the side of his face as he walked over to a nearby mirror, he looked himself over. Well, Spenser did say to mention if it didn't fit right. Fussing with the collar and belt next, Jackie spent a good ten minutes trying to at least get everything to sit right. In fact, he was taking so long that outside; Spenser was glancing at his watch. 

Not wishing to wait any longer, the green haired male knocked before opening the door and poking his head inside, "How's it go…ah…" seeing the distressed recruit, he stepped all the way in and shut the door as he went, "I guess it was a little big," he walked over and took a look for himself, "Hmm, guess we'll have to go with a small then." Jackie was kind of short and small by comparison, it was amusing since on his transfer papers he'd put a bigger size. Perhaps thinking that maybe he'd have grown a bit by now.

"No, it's alright, I just have to get it…" Jackie started to insist, however, his words were cut short when Spenser held up a hand. He looked quite serious now and that was enough to silence the blonde completely.

"Jack, you can't expect to be a good ranger if you're always uncomfortable," he stated, "You won't be helping anybody that way…so, we'll get you a uniform that fits alright." Spenser then smiled and ruffled the others hair, "But for now, we'll just have you do some things around town after all as the new guy you have a few mandatory jobs to fulfill before you get to do the fun stuff." The look Spenser was wearing now made Jackie's blood run a degree colder, he was starting to get the feeling that as a new recruit that was just another name for "gets to do all the menial chores". 

It was to be expected though and so Jackie just let out a relieved sigh and a hesitant smile, "Sorry, you're right, thank you." The two left the break room and returned to the main hall, approaching the front desk Spenser addressed the lady sitting behind it. She just smiled and nodded before getting up and walking away. She disappeared into the back for a short moment before reappearing. She had in her arms a rather heavy looking messenger bag which she then set on top of the desk.

"Here they are sir," she glanced towards Jackie and then back at Spenser, "Um…"

Looking to have read her thoughts, Spenser just shook his head and took the bag, "This is quite fine," he stated while turning to face Jackie, "Alright, your first mission will be to deliver these papers." 

"What…" was Spenser being serious? Deliver papers? What kind of papers? Jackie just stared at the bag, perhaps they were important documents? 

"You'll have to visit each house and business in the area, there are quite a few so you better get going." Knowing that look and grin only growing, Spenser slung the back over the dumbfounded blondes shoulder, "When you get back I'll have a replacement uniform for you." Rather than wait for the other to protest or ask any of the questions he could already see forming in his mind, Spenser practically dragged Jackie back to the front door and pushed him out, "Good luck~!" and with that the doors shut and the distinct sound of locks clicking told the blonde that he wasn't going to be allowed back in until the mission was complete. 

Staggering slightly but adjusting the weight on his shoulders, Jackie groaned before he started walking. The curiosity inside him had enticed him to take a glance inside the bag once he'd lost sight of the Ranger Station. Pulling out a paper he found it to be just a simple newspaper, now that he thought about it he recalled hearing that some stations printed their own newspaper or news letter. "Hmm…an outbreak of Yanma just outside of town huh?" folding the paper back up and tucking it away, Jackie came to his first stop. Walking up to the front door and knocking, he waited a moment. When there was no answer he knocked again, only a few seconds later the door opened and a rather large male appeared. 

"Eh…uh…um…" Jackie literally took a step back and just stared up at the guy, in turn, the guy looked down at him with a frown. "I…um…brought you the paper?" 

Raising an eyebrow and looking the smaller male up and down the larger of the two then glared before reaching a large hand out. Gasping, Jackie dropped down and brought his hands over his head defensively, somewhere in there he must have let out a very unprofessional yelp because the large man just laughed, "Ah! You must be the new recruit over at the Ranger Station right?" the terrifying frown the man had been wearing had swiftly turned into a jolly grin, "They've got you doing the grunt work I see, well thank you very much, I've been looking forward to this." 

Jackie just stared up at him, his face as white as a sheet as he rose back to his feet and handed the man his paper with a stunned look, "Y-yeah, my name's Jack Walker…" he cleared his throat.

"Jackie huh, well it's good ta meet ya, oh," the man grabbed Jackie by the shoulder, his hand felt as if it took up the whole thing and part of his back, "and don't let'm push ya around, they're all business but that don't stop'm from havin' a little fun from time to time." With that the man retreated back into his home and shut the door. Jackie in the mean time just stood there staring, for a brief moment he thought he had seen his life flash before his eyes but now that reality had set in he just rubbed his temples and shook his head. Rather than dwell on it any further than necessary, he turned and went to the next house. This one's resident was a little easier to handle, a young mother and her two children. She smiled and accepted the newspaper but didn't talk much since the two kids had started to act up. The more houses and offices he visited the more people he met, most of them were quite nice but there were a few that weren't so much. One old man had unleashed his well trained Mightyena on him. The large dog had chased him a good ten blocks before Jackie found a tree to hide in. 

What he assumed was going to be a fairly mundane and easy mission was turning out to be far more difficult. Once he was down to the final paper, Jackie was sitting near the outskirts of Ringtown. He looked a little scuffed up and was breathing rather heavily but he was at the end of his mission and not even the mightiest legendary was going to keep him from finishing. Taking a deep breath and then pulling out the list of residence, the last place he was supposed to visit was about a mile out of town. Walking a mile was hardly a challenge, but walking a mile after carrying several pounds of newspapers, narrowly escaping an enraged Pokémon, running for about ten minutes, climbing several trees, and having a rather hefty woman insist he look after her troublemaking Mankey…Jackie just stared down the road numbly. Well, he wasn't going to get anywhere just sitting there. Getting to his feet, dusting himself off, and then taking the first step, the rest had rejuvenated the blonde enough to at least keep him walking without wincing. 

The further away from town he got the more calm the environment seemed to get. Jackie couldn't help but look around in awe; this region really was quite beautiful. He would periodically spot a Pokémon scampering about, and like the paper had said there was a rather large amount of Yanma flying about. Yes, all seemed right with the world, or least it did until the wind picked up. There was the distinct smell of smoke in the air, which was the first thing that made Jackie's eyes snap up. Just off in the distance, right about where this last house was supposed to be, was a large cloud of smoke. Eyes growing, Jackie took off without as much as a single hesitation. Closing the distance in record time, Jackie came skidding to a stop when an earsplitting screech filled the air. Hands clasped tightly over his ears, he looked up in time to see a large moth like Pokémon. He'd never seen a Pokémon like it before but its wings were like fire spreading embers whenever they flapped. It was a magnificent yet terrifying sight, but that was the least of his concerns, the house just below was a blaze. 

Rushing down the dirt path towards the house, Jackie was forced to stop again when he saw a man and a woman standing over a crouched elderly gentleman. "Hey!" he shouted, the two suspicious looking people looked up, "What do you think you're doing!" probably not the smartest course of action because both turned. The woman though started towards him.

"Look what we have here~" she jeered, "A lone Ranger, and what's this…a newbie as well, ha!" she took out a Pokeball, "You people are a joke, isn't that right Cofagrigus." the Pokeball burst open as a large sarcophagus looking Pokémon came out. Jackie took a quick step back but then noticed a Furret nearby. Quickly taking out his capture styler, he pointed it at the furry brown Pokémon.

"Capture o…ack!" before he could finish a large black hand had shot out and wrapped tightly around his throat, lifting him off the ground. Dropping the stylus and bringing his hands up to pull at the ghostly hand, Jackie watched as the woman walked up to him. 

"Heh, you shouldn't have interfered with us little one," she said with a sneer, "Because getting in the way of Team Legend means only one thing…" the woman stopped only a foot away from the blonde, she ran her fingers through her long hair then finished, "and that's death." 

Jackie opened his mouth to say something but the Cofagrigus' hand tightened forcing only a strangled gasp to escape the young man. He struggled and fought against it but the more he resisted the tighter the hand grew until his head started to grow fuzzy and his vision blur. 

"Minerva, that's enough…we got what we came for," the man that had been with her stepped in, "If this one came the others are probably close behind." He then took out a Pokeball of his own; Jackie was just barely hanging on to the last bit of consciousness to see a Hydreigon emerge. The woman scoffed before calling off her ghost type, Jackie was released but none to gently. He fell to the ground and blacked out as the two made their escape; the Volcarona followed them as they disappeared into the clouds. When Jackie came to, he sat up with a loud gasp, eyes wide, only to be stopped by someone's hand. Dazedly looking up he saw it was a fellow Pokémon Ranger, he had dark hair and wore a cowboy hat.

"Easy there, don't get up to fast now." 

No problem with that, Jackie turned his gaze towards the house and saw that all that was left was a pile of charred beams. Groaning he also noticed that Spenser and a female Ranger were speaking with the older gentleman. He was ready to ask what had happened but Spenser noticed him and came walking over, "Jackie! You're alright, that's great…how are you feeling?" He crouched down and dismissed the other, who just shrugged and got to his feet. The blonde rubbed his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. 

"Horrible…" Jackie then answered honestly, "I couldn't do anything…" 

"On the contrary," Spenser interrupted, "according to that man, those people were looking to finish him off when you showed up," he gave the boy a slight smile, "You saved his life you know." 

Lowering his hands, Jackie just stared at them. His head then shot up, "Those people! That's right!" he looked towards Spenser, "They're from…"

"Team Legend, we know…but what we're not sure on is their names." Spenser sighed.

"Minerva, the woman's name was Minerva…" Jackie then said, "That was the only name I heard, if that's of any help." He looked up, Spenser's expression had grown very serious, in fact Jackie had never seen the other wear such an expression. Whoever this Minerva lady was must be someone pretty bad. Spenser in the mean time got to his feet and motioned for the female ranger to come over. Once she had, he whispered something to her and she gave a nod. Her look was also a serious one before she lifted her hand, a shriek filled the air as a Staraptor swooped down, and she hopped onto its back and flew off. Spenser then turned back towards Jackie.

"You did good kid, we better head back…" 

"Wait…" Jackie rolled onto his hands and knees before pushing himself up, staggering slightly he sorely walked over to the gentleman who was being wheeled off on a stretcher. He gave the boy a curious look, "Sir…your paper." He then set the newspaper on the mans' lap. Then turning back towards Spenser, Jackie gave him a thumbs-up, "Mission complete sir."

 

Everyone just stared at the blonde with shocked looks on their faces, then each and everyone of them just laughed.


	7. The Rise of Team Legend

Upon their return to the Ringtown Ranger Station, Spenser had Jackie reported directly to the infirmary. While insisted on being perfectly fine, the senior Ranger gave him another chewing out. He may have been of help this time but he'd failed to fully assess the situation and wound up getting hurt. Calling it reckless, Jackie was left with a slightly bruised pride and a rather bitter after taste. Sighing, he reached for his jacket and pulled it on over his black and white under shirt. Getting to his feet, the blonde rubbed his neck slowly from the front all the way to the back. He could still feel the ghostly hands presence, it was rather unnerving but there was nothing he could do about it now. What bothered him the most where those two people, the man and woman. The woman was especially scary, had her partner not cut in at that very moment well…emerald gaze wafting towards the window, Jackie wore a look of wariness. On their way back to the station Jackie had asked what it was this Team Legend was after and why they had caused so much destruction. Spenser had been very close lipped about it and simply said that it they were a growing threat. 

Taking a slow and calming breath, Jackie brought both hands up and smacked himself a few times in the face, "Alright! No more moping, while my first mission turned into a bit of a fiasco it was still a success. I have to look at the positive side of all this!" moving towards the door, he took his leave of the infirmary and strolled down the halls, "Hmm, now that I think about it, those other Rangers looked really familiar." Jackie paused in front of the community bulletin board and rubbed his chin in thought, "Ah…hmm…a lady with a Staraptor and a man with a cowboy hat…" 

"You wouldn't happen to be talkin' about me now would ya?" 

"Hm?" Jackie looked up from his thoughts and came eye to eye with the man from before, this time he was accompanied by a rather large and intimidating Luxray, "Eh, I…" the man just chuckled then pointed to something on the board to their right. Jackie followed his finger until his eyes met with a newspaper article, "This months Top Rangers…Wendy…Sve…n" realization sunk in like a sack of rocks, quickly looking back up the amusement on the others face quite clear by the younger males reaction, "You're Sven! Then that lady must have been Wendy!" 

"Quite right and you're Jackie right? Spenser told me about you, apparently he specifically requested you for this post after hearing about your marks at the academy." Sven walked over and gave Jackie's head a pat, "Takes quite a bit to convince that man, better not let'm down." 

This was a new piece of information; Jackie had just assumed he'd been assigned here at random like most of the other graduates. But hearing from one of the top Rangers that the leader of the Ringtown Ranger Station himself had requested him; well, Jackie couldn't help but feel his heart swell. Sensing that his words had pleased the blonde, Sven lowered his hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "By the way, Spenser wants to see you in his office, don't keep him waiting." He then gave the boy a playful shove and watching as the blonde stumbled but took off running towards the offices. Adjusting his hat and then shaking his head, Sven sighed, "I get the feeling Spenser's going to have his hands full with that one, eh Lux…" 

The Luxray looked up towards his partner and sniffed in agreement, the two then disappeared down the hall. They had been given a mission to find out more about Team Legend, Sven had a few contacts from Unova he wanted to speak with. The Pokémon that Jackie had mentioned seeing were native to that region so there had to be some sort of connection.

In the mean time, Jackie had reached Spenser's office and knocked on the door. He didn't get an answer right away but after a moment the door slid open and his superior's voice invited him inside. When the leader came into view, Jackie tried to hold in his smile though apparently was making a face that Spenser had to stop what he was doing just to stare. "Ah…Sven must have told you then," Spenser sighed and went back to looking over the papers he'd been reading, "He's got a bit of a big mouth sometimes, but it's fine." 

"Sir, I just want to say thank you and that…I'm sorry about my behavior before, I'll do better this time." Jackie started, Spenser just held up his hand which effectively silenced him.

"Don't worry about it, it was your first mission after all and none of us were prepared for what happened. What's done is done…" Spenser set the papers down, getting up from his seat and walking around to the front of his desk, Spenser leaned against it and crossed his arms, "You were being treated when it was announced but I figured you had the right to hear." 

"Announced?" Jackie lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head, "What was announced?" 

"Team Legend has made their name public and their goal very clear," Spenser replied, his eyes closing as his brows furrowed, "Take a look for yourself…" he then turned and picked up a remote. Clicking one of the buttons, the small television in the far left corner flicked on. There was a news broadcast playing.

"That's right folks, the appearance of several men in black suits in Nimbasa City as well as the closing of several blocks," the camera panned to show that there indeed were at least fifty men in suits blocking off streets, all of which had quite fearsome looking Pokémon out, appeared to be clearing the area, "We will play the announcement one more time.." the news lady said before the camera flicked to a podium with a man standing behind a microphone.

"People of Nimbasa City, and of the world, hear me…" the man said, Jackie's eyes narrowed, this man… "We of Team Legend have been striving for this moment, for all of you to know, that we now have the power to do what no other organization has been able to accomplish." 

"That man," Jackie said slowly, "He was the other person at the fire." 

Spenser looked at Jackie but the young man didn't look back. His eyes were glued to the television screen as the speech continued.

"The world is about to change, we of Team Legend will usher forth a new era!" and with that he turned and motioned towards the center stage. There was a strange device sitting there with several men around it fiddling with dials and pushing buttons. Spenser scowled at the sight of it before looking away. Jackie though was still transfixed, his blood felt cold just by looking at that thing. Something about it didn't feel right.

"Behold! The Legendary!"

"Wait, what?" Jackie sat back and then looked towards Spenser finally, "Sir, what is that machine supposed to do?" 

Spenser didn't answer; this made Jackie frown as he turned back towards the screen. What he saw made his eyes grow several sizes. On the screen the camera had panned up to the sky, a large green, serpentine Pokémon came circling down. It hit the ground so forcefully that the street shook. 

"That's Rayquaza!" 

"Starting with this mighty beast, we of Team Legend will capture every Legendary Pokémon, and with their might bring this world to its knees." 

Jackie took a step towards the screen but froze when the man threw something at the grounded Rayquaza. In a flash of red, the large Pokémon was sucked into a Pokeball. When the camera zoomed in close enough he saw that it wasn't just any Pokeball, it was a Masterball. As was expected, the mighty creature did not emerge once the light at the center dimmed. They could hear gasps coming from those who had just witnessed this violation, watching as the man jumped down and walked to the center of the cracked pavement to retrieve the Masterball. 

"H-He can't do that…can he?" Jackie looked towards Spenser, "That Pokémon…Rayquaza, is one of a kind, it's supposed to be protected right? How did it just appear there all of a sudden?" there were far too many questions, terrible questions, buzzing around in Jackie's mind. 

"Jackie, first you need to settle down and breath," Spenser said while flicking the television off, "We've been working on this case for several months now and while we weren't expecting something of this scale we knew it was a possibility." Sitting against his desk with his arms crossed once more, Spenser stared across the room at Jackie. "You're still just a novice Ranger Jackie, so I can't let you get to involved, but I've been considering letting you work this mission with me." 

Jackie straightened up, it was pretty crazy…why though? He wanted to do what he could to help but such a big case? There was a flare of determination in his eyes and Spenser saw it and smirked, "That's the spirit," he said then, "Now, I've already got one other working on it with me, you'll have to report to him. You'll be his assistant for now until we can get a better grasp of just how far along Team Legend has gotten."

"Yes sir, um…but about my…"   
"You'll get your answers soon enough," Spenser cut in, "Now, you will report here, he's expecting you so just walk right in." he tore off a sheet of paper and wrote down the location before handing it off to the other. Jackie took it and looked it over, nodding; he then pocketed the paper and gave his superior one more glance. He was going to do his very best; after all, the very notion of capturing such Pokémon was simply out of the question. A rare, one of a kind, even sacred in some cases, what right did people have to steal it away. 

Being dismissed, Jackie turned on his toes and walked towards the door. It slid open before he could reach it though and a very large fluffy, orange, beast of a Pokémon bound in and tackled the poor, unprepared, blonde. 

"Spenser! You jerk! I know I asked for an assistant but what is the meaning of sending HIM!" 

That voice…Jackie tried to push his assailant off of him but found that a big wet tongue licked him right up the side of the face. "Get'm off! Ack! He's crushing me!" Upon much further inspection, the hairy monster crushing him was actually a very jolly Arcanine. As for the voice, Jackie was able to crawl halfway out from under the fire type in time to see a taller male enter the office.

"Myles…"


End file.
